Funny old world: the week’s offbeat news

From the dangers of letting Donald Trump loose with an atlas, to finger licking art. Your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world:

– Spliffing wheeze –

Bic, the venerable French maker of pens, razors and lighters, has suddenly discovered cannabis in its old age.

It plans to spark up profits in the United States by turning on more marijuana smokers by reviving its “Flick my Bic” advertising slogan from the 1970s.

“I’m from Amsterdam, but I can tell you that marijuana use in the United States is progressing much more quickly than it ever did in the Netherlands,” insisted its new chief executive Rob Versloot.

“There’s a sizeable market to conquer,” he said of the 20 states that have legalised weed, enlisting celebrity pot fans like Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson and lifestyle maven Martha Stewart for BIC’s cheeky new lighter ads.

– Dire straits –

A little over a week after renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America”, Donald Trump is at it again, threatening to rename the US state of New Mexico “New America” and calling the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait”.

The US president’s determination to leave his mark on the map has met with push back from Mexico, Canada and some members of his own party, even as some tech companies have bent the knee.

Their principled stance has now been sent up by the satirical TV show “South Park”.

“Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA,” it announced.

The animated show has mercilessly poked fun at Trump since his return to the White House, showing him in a loveless marriage with Satan while toadying vice president JD Vance plots to get rid of their demonic unborn baby.

– Spread the nuttiness –

Tread gently for you tread on my peanut butter…. A Dutch museum that spread nearly 400 kilos of peanut butter across its floor, said 48 people accidentally walked on it, five dropped their phones onto it and there was one “licking incident”.

The artwork, a tribute to artist Wim T Schippers who died this year, was displayed for two months at the Boijmans van Beuningen museum in Rotterdam.

“Forty-eight visitors made a fatal misstep into the floor,” said the museum. “Five phones were fished out.” The phantom licker appears to have been a young child who just couldn’t resist.

– Buzz off, you’re barred –

A French mayor has banned tiger mosquitoes from flying over his town, saying they are menacing a sacred French institution, the aperitif.

The good people of Saint-Just Saint-Rambert on the Loire River have been unable to take their evening tipple, “l’apero”, outside this summer, said Olivier Joly, saying any tiger mosquito that defies the ban will be “pursued” through the courts.

The striped Asian invaders are far more ferocious than their native cousins and have really gotten under people’s skin this summer as temperatures soared.

Mayor Joly said his light-hearted ban is aimed at mobilising townsfolk against the menace.

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